Bittersweet and the little soap company

Before me

I'm just peeking in for a few minutes. My car is in the shop for its annual winter check-up, and I've been blowing leaves and trimming bushes before old man winter arrives. I picked up all of my Thanksgiving groceries early and turkey and pumpkin pie are on my menu. I have the tree up too! I'm not sure and for whatever reason, I was eager to put the Christmas tree up this year. I captured the shot of Elle sitting on the living room rug and thought about how that would make a great Christmas card. The shop window is filled with warm hues and our home is decked out with sugar pinecones and white tassels. Thoughts of blessings and thankfulness filled my heart last night as I pondered my life and the people that are in it. How glorious it is to not have any wants or needs, and along with those feelings realize some do not share those thoughts. Feeling blessed each and every day. 

My little Norfolk pine is thriving. I gave her a healthy trim and cut-off dead branches. She was singing a happy song, and I also believe her branches were swaying. There's a story behind that, but it's a personal one. I'll share someday. 

My mind is traveling back and forth with ideas for holiday packaging. We ordered these cute little Christmas tree bags, and I love the idea of an all-white bag with ribbon. A simple piece of greenery as embellishment. We've offered these packaged soap items before, and they remain timeless and one of my favorite things about the holidays. 

The picture of my dad and me from back when. This picture sits in my shop and reminds me of blessings gracefully given by God.  I love it when customers ask me about the picture. There are also pictures of my aunt and my great-grandmother Lucy at my shop. Every now and then I gaze up and look at the pictures to remind me of just how darn lucky I am to have such amazing people in my life and a part of me realizes I am who I am because of them. 

A delightful story. 

Step one, make the best soap ever with the recipe that you’ve fastidiously developed twenty-five years ago, Step two, tenderly cut the bars. Step 3, allow the soap to cure for four to six weeks so that it ages to perfection. Step four, wrap the moisture-rich bars in stunning paper and design labels to perfection. Step five, happily wrap and offer a new soap each week because we love soap, and the ability to offer you an aromatic delightfully wrapped bar of new goodness every single week is our jam!

We're coming upon Shop Small Day! It doesn't seem possible, but we are. A while ago I played out our shop hours and realized that Bittersweet Apothecary is only open 19 more days before Christmas and our annual winter nap. Every year I also am taken by surprise at how quickly it arrives and how fast it's gone.

We made Cherry Crumble last night. This is such an easy recipe, but it's one of those desserts that gets rave reviews each and every time that you serve it. My ex-sister-in-law shared the recipe with me years ago.  I've been making it for years. Here's the recipe if you want to try it. You can change the fruit filling with apple, peach, blueberry, etc. Most of the time I make everything from scratch, but every now and then I'll find an easier version of something that compares with scratch. It's almost time to share my toffee recipe too. 

Blessings to you. 

Jill  

 

 

 

 

Second home

We get asked all of the time what the scent is in our shop. A lot of times it's a combination of soaps and blends that we create, but most often it's our Cleanse Cleaner. The rich tincture is formulated with clove and cinnamon. Since my shop is in an old home I have to be cautious with cleaners and such. We have the coolest tile and wood floors and I would never want to damage them. This essential oil cleanser not only smells amazing, but it makes my tile shine and my wood floors glow! It's pretty pungent, but in a good way and I love using the essential oil cleaner both at home and at the shop. It's a good thing! The only problem is that I have a hard time keeping up with supply and demand. 

I mentioned River Rain in my last post. It's wrapped and ready, and will not be here for very long. 

Our Fragrance Bar is slowly but surely getting filled. I believe that there are twenty empty spots left. I'm getting there! I'm happily getting there because the new scents smell amazing! We had a customer drop by yesterday and mixed several bottles of moisturizer and body spray using all of the new fragrances. She was impressed with the new assortment to choose from. In fact, as soon as I get through typing I'm going to blend more because it's a popular department in our store. With good reason. 

The serums and facial oils, soaps, etc. that we make and offer at our store are comprised of the best of the best. Much research goes into designing and creating a Bittersweet Skincare product. Sometimes we take months formulating a product before we get it just right. It's important that the product stands out from any past product that you've ever used and immediate results are kind of our jam.  

I've waited and waited with bated breath to announce the release of PS, and I can wait no more. The inquiries and emails have filled my inbox with questions about when the popular soap will be stocked. I'm happy to let you know that next Thursday is the golden day!

I'm also making a soap called Pumpkin Crunch that will be available as it gets closer to Thanksgiving. A prelude to our collection of Holiday Soaps. By the way, I've already started manufacturing. Remember how our soap requires a four-to-six week curing time?

This is a busy time of the year. Each year our summer turns into Christmas! The summers past were always busy, but as Bittersweet grows and gathers new customers, we operate on a level of Christmas year-round. It's a good thing. Thank you. 

Jill 

 

Ber

Oh, the blessing of being a soap maker for over twenty-five years often accompanies appreciative thoughts. The process of making soap is not easy, but it's one of the most rewarding things that I've ever done. Isn't that how it sometimes goes? When we face our challenges we find that the prize way exceeds the struggles. To think that these thoughts wouldn't exist had I not been in business for so long boggles my mind.  I've learned an incredible number of things and most are engraved and embedded with strong work ethics and perseverance. A lot of times when we face challenges we tend to want to escape by walking the other way. I have found the outcome and freedom that comes from heading things straight on requires mental strength, but the reward is huge. I'm forever grateful for the grace that God has given me over the years. The lessons I've learned and the value it holds. Priceless. 

When I took the picture of the stacked soap it all came back to me. The entire process from beginning to end is a labor of love. 

You must know that once September arrives it's the beginning of Fall. At least in my world. The retail and soap manufacturing world is quite different than most. The Ber months are here! 

The shop is filled with fall essence and the mood is autumn!

We are in the process of updating our Scent Your Own Department by starting fresh with new bottles, labels, and seasonal fragrances. I believe that there are thirty-one empty spots to fill. That translated into thirty-one more additions to our menu. We offer eighty! My goal at the modern apothecary is to take the intimidation process out of blending scents. We're getting there. 

We're also making upgrades on some of our soap packagings. Our long-time facial bar, Oats & Goats is on our makeover list along with a few other soaps. 

Our new fall jackets have arrived! 

The seasons come and they go, and Bittersweet seasons seem to pass with a blink of an eye. I'm not sure why but they do. Holiday manufacturing kicks in full speed ahead next week, and I'm putting the finishing touches on fall manufacturing as we head into winter. The four to six-week curing period on all of our soap has always pushed us to be a couple of weeks ahead. 

The shop has been hustling! It makes me happy to see people come in and design a new scent and stock up on soaps. I always feel like that little bar of soap can change the world. It did mine!

If you haven't been in for a while we're decked out with fall. We look forward to seeing your smiling face and sharing our take on fall!

Jill  

 

Meet me in St. Louis

We took a train to St. Louis and had a blast of a time during our short stay. Unfortunately, when we arrived home I had symptoms of covid. A test revealed that my symptoms were covid.  I'm on the mend and slowly starting to feel better. I'm really anxious to get back to the shop. While I was away we had numerous fall shipments come in. I had also taken off from soap manufacturing for a week, which in turn means that it will be catch-up time at both the studio and at the shop. 

It felt good to get away, but I'm eager to get back into all of the fall goings-on that we have happening at the shop! The Ber months are approaching and we're celebrating by ushering in cozy fall tweeds and spicy new soaps. 

We're also going to introduce a new house scent, Bittersweet. Years ago we offered a house blend scent that everyone seemed to love. I'm not sure why we no longer offer it, but I thought it would be nice to bring back a signature scent for fall. We will also offer a new yummy candle in the new fragrance. 

This week I'll ease back into work at a much slower pace while acknowledging the blessings that surround me. 

Jill 

 

 

Peachy!

Have you ever had a week or maybe a day that's just peachy? I know that you have. This past week was indeed "peachy." Our peachy week was not only hunky-dory in the sense of peachy, but there was the scent of aromatic peach flowing through the air. I've mentioned many times how I love the scent of peach. We blended several peach concoctions at the apothecary shop that were, well, peachy! The peach season isn't around for long.  

I wrapped up the book cover design! I'll talk about that more as we travel down the road of book writing discussion at a later date. You might find the information handy if you're considering writing a book. 

Meanwhile at the shop and the studio. 

You might find it difficult to believe, but the studio has been whipping up all things pumpkin spice and pear, apple, and some of your favorite yummy fall scents. If you're new to our blog then you may not know that our method of soap making requires a four to six-week curing period.  We're into September in July. Once September rolls around the action follow.  Actually, it's a pretty action-packed year round, but the golden month of September ushers in down and dirty soap making. It's a good thing we have lots of soap. I'll never forget that children's book that I used to read to Patrick. The sheep crashed their jeep and they said that they needed lots of soap. We used to laugh every time we came to that part of the book. Mom was a soap maker and we did have lots of soap!

Our Scent Station or Scent Your Own Department has been graced with some beautiful souls. It's always joyful to see people create a perfume or cologne. Starting from the ground up and working your way through the world of scent design is mesmerizing.   Being a scent girl my entire life I've always had a crush on beautiful scents. I love sharing my favorite things with all that are interested. That part of living the good life, sharing. 

The girl in the golden glasses. 

Susan dropped by the shop yesterday and as soon as she entered I was taken by her sunglasses. Aren't they cute? She was headed to a wedding and changed her mind about the dress that she was wearing. Instead, she picked out the linen embroidery dress and paired it with a new seed bead bracelet, and turquoise-toned Nickel & Suede earrings. Doesn't she look adorable? The pops of bright red and fuchsia in the dress look amazing on her skin tone! We love the look! Without a doubt, Susan received more than one compliment. We offer a color compliment card at our shop. Everyone looks better in certain tones, colors, and hues. Whether you're a spring, summer, fall, or winter, we are more than happy to assist you in your best foot forward colors. We're anxious to expand our color collections with stunning fall tones. We've already chosen our favorites and they will be arriving soon. Remember September?

The tumbleweed has been getting attention. I guess if our shop was in Arizona or Nevada a tumbleweed would not be that big of a deal, but when it's center stage at a midwest shop it is going to get lots of attention. That puts a smile on my face. I'm also reminded that inspiration can come from anything or anyone. As simple as it sounds it's true. 

My zinnia patch was slow to bloom, but now those candy-colored blooms are popping open! I'm not sure if I love this flower because of its humble beginning or because it was one of my mom's favorites. It is safe to say, both. Typically you start zinnia from seeds. There's a satisfying feeling that one gets when one plants the seed and watches it transform into a beautiful flower. A sense of accomplishment in the garden world, I'd say. You garden girls and boys understand! If you aren't a garden person, zinnias are a great flower to start with. 

We sometimes forget how important it is to treat ourselves with love. Be kind to yourself and always remember you are you, and that is enough. xo

When we look forward to tomorrow we're often disappointed in today. If you concentrate on living one day at a time, you will find yourself a happier person. It takes practice to put this into motion but once you do, you will realize that this method of thinking will add joy to your life. 

Everyone that visits Bittersweet touches that linen apron. What is it about linen? The natural fiber textile draws you in with its soft texture and cool disposition. At least it does me. The colors are amazing on these aprons. They remind me of plant-dyed fabrics. Some of the most amazing colors come from plants! In the olden days, really olden days, that is how they added color to their clothing. The Indians were the originators and knowledgeable about plant-dyed fibers and shared their knowledge with the pilgrims and pioneers. There's another example of sharing. 

Plant-derived dyes

Catechu or Cutch tree (brown)

Gamboge tree resin (dark mustard yellow)

Chestnut hulls (peach to brown)

Himalayan rhubarb root (bronze, yellow)

Indigofera leaves (blue)

Kamala seed pods (yellow)

Madder root (red, pink, orange)

Mangosteen peel (green, brown, dark brown, purple, crimson)

I'm in love with the paper scrolls.  

I've been procrastinating about changing our essential oil and fragrance bottles. The process of switching out the bottles and new labeling is mind-boggling considering we offer over one hundred at our shop.  This will be an all-day project that should have a dedicated time and place. Sometimes those last-minute challenges turn out to be not so challenging, but simply time-consuming.  

Our popular Charcoal soap is back in stock! 

I've been wanting to share our complimentary gift packaging notion. In a time filled with cut-backs and less, it feels right to offer appreciative offerings to our customers. Not to mention we love creating beautiful packaging. 

We're holding back on some exciting news, but we can't share quite yet. This time next week I'll be able to share and the excitement is mounting! 

Keep being you. 

Jill 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

no name

In the last post, I explained the story of the tumbleweed. Here it is! I've been getting all kinds of questions about the giant tumbleweed. Believe it or not, you can order these desert creatures online. They are available in small, medium, and large. This is a large size because when I ordered I thought, bigger is always better. I'm not from Texas, but I have lots of relatives that are! Anyway, after all these years I finally have my tumbleweed! As a reminder as I mentioned in the last post, inspiration can come from anything or anyone. 

We've been heel-deep into book covers! I've always been intrigued by how hundreds of pictures can churn out one good one. This translates into time spent having your picture taken, over and over, and over. Not my cup of tea. I always thought that it would be fun to be a model, but now I'm realizing that it would not be my thing. 

Yesterday our credit card processor went crazy! We have the one that starts with an S. We had to close our shop doors because we could not process any payments. Then later I went back to the store to try and troubleshoot, but it was apparent that the issue was within their system. So I finally gave up and threw in the towel for the night. I did manage to get our backup system running, but our main processing system is down. It will be a miracle if it accepts our password and works! Sometimes when companies make upgrades it causes issues with some older machines. This is exactly what is happening. As frustrating as it is, life goes on.  It's always good to have backup plans. Just saying. 

Moving on to less stressful things. 

Our shipment of linen aprons arrived. I absolutely love the colors! We also ordered linen table runners and kitchen towels. We're gearing up for our cookbook in early twenty-three. 

When I think of summer thoughts of fresh lemon and lavender come to mind. Our Refreshers are an easy way to take in some refreshing and cool scents. 

We've already planned out our packaging for fall and winter. We've used this paper company before and always loved their designs. Without a doubt, we know that you're going to be wowed by the stunning paper!

Soap manufacturing is at full speed ahead! I have soap that needs to be cut and wrapped just waiting, soaps that aren't made, soap that needs names, and soap, soap, soap.

I've been using the minty watermelon scrub, and absolutely love the new formulation! It has a creamy texture while also offering coconut oil moisture.  So good!

I wasn't sure what to name this post. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment, so I've decided the title should be, "no name."

I can assure you that there are many that are experiencing much worse than I. This is my reminder, always no matter what comes my way in this thing we call life. 

It's always good, to be honest. 

Keep the faith. 

Jill 

 

 

 

 

 

more summer...

The goodness of summer blooms is about to reach its peak! The lavender is buzzing with hundreds of bees. Every time I walk by the rows of aromatic lavender the bees swarm around me like a bee parade. I love it! My hydrangeas are not the bounty that I usually have, but I'm enjoying the pink and blue, white blooms and cutting stems to take to the shop. The pesky Japanese beetles have been seen here and there, and I pluck them off of my zinnias. Ever since I planted the lavender I don't have near the numbers. Before the lavender, there were hundreds eating away, and now that the lavender grows near, I've only had a half dozen or so. So, if you have Japanese beetles attacking, grow lavender. I don't think they like it and will move onto your neighbor's yard. Sorry neighbors. The large pink lilies are starting to wither. I took some cuttings from them too. I ordered these several years ago from a garden catalog simply because the description talked about how fragrant they were. I consider it a perk when a flower smells good and is pretty at the same time!

I wrapped up the last of our summer soap manufacturing on Wednesday by making a fragrant white jasmine soap or soaps I should say. Before that, peach. I love peach soap. It might sound strange but when I was a young girl there was a dish soap that smelled like a peach. My family didn't have it, but whenever I visited my best friend's house they did and I loved the scent. It wasn't a strong peach, but mellow and nice to even a young girl's nose.  It really has been all about scent for as long as I can remember. It makes perfect sense that my future would be entangled with fragrance. 

Usually, a spice soap is reserved for winter, but I'm on this star anise kick lately. The spice is nice blended with vanilla. I even mixed a dry oil with these two fragrances, and I love it! Just as your taste changes with design so too does it change with scent. There are scents that I never liked when I was younger but absolutely love them now. 

I'll have to shout it on the roof! The new Minty Watermelon Scrub smells fresh and very much reminds me of summer. It was a new formulation that I'd never made before, and I quickly discovered that this skincare essential is labor intense to make. It might have something to do with the fact that I double, doubled the recipe, and ended up with an enormous amount of product that was hard to maneuver. There are several steps involved that help you to appreciate and understand the word anticipation as well. I'll make a few minor changes and this new amazing polish will be available as a seasonal offering. We'll continue to offer it but it won't be around all of the time. This big eight-ounce jar should last you the remaining of summer.  I'm already pondering a fall scrub, and I'm leaning towards Pumpkin Spice. Bittersweet pumpkin spice smells amazing! I'm not even a pumpkin spice fan, but I love our pumpkin spice. When? Probably late September, or early October. 

Every summer when the fourth rolls around I find myself saying it's here already! Once it arrives I'm reminded of just how short-lived all the seasons are, and how in turn time flies. 

Our Holiday Soap manufacturing kicks in once the calendar turns to July!  We've already planned our holiday soap scents and have our supply of fragrances sitting in the studio. 

I'm wishing you a peaceful Independence day. America, the beautfiul! Don't ever let anyone say that she's not. Well, they can say it all they want, but it wouldn't be true. Our country is unlike any other in ways that are complex and above all filled with sacrifice and determination. Honesty and grit come to mind as well. If you study history you will have a better understanding, and might even find yourself wanting to learn more. Without our founding fathers and the insight they possessed, we would not be America, home of the brave. I would highly suggest that anyone that feels like America is not a good place to be should study history. There you will find an entirely new perspective, I promise. You will also have a better understanding of how America today has changed. I'm a history lover! I cannot lie!

This rainy morning is quiet and slow the way that I like them to be. 

Three cheers to America I salute you!

Jill 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

summer for sure!

The Ruby Slipper Hydrangea starts out snow-white but transforms into a scarlet once the days cool. The blooms smell like honey! I love this new bush! We planted them last fall.  Lavender sprigs popped out on the sides. Love that too! Little things...

I mentioned how summer is one of our busiest seasons at Bittersweet in my last post and this week has proven to prove that. Firstly, the re-style of our brick and mortar took center stage this past week, and I'm happy to say that the final look-over makes me smile. It's a process to change the design of a shop. We take advantage of the clear space by doing a thorough cleaning and then we slowly start bringing in the pieces we want to style with. Some pieces we keep, and others we don't. We love changing our look and vibe and do it often. 

Our new line "Back to Basics" has started to hit the store shelves! When I think of summer, I can't help but ponder the scents of lemon and lavender, and cool aromatic refresher sprays that well, refresh. Then there is the magnificent Bulgarian Rose! Typically, I'm not a rose fan. However, one of the reasons that I'm not is simply because the rose fragrance that is available is almost always synthetic. A chemist designs a scent that he, or she, believes resembles a rose. Most of the time the knock-off is either over the top or far between, but the real, $2800 per pound rose, well that's different! Now you know why most soap companies don't formulate real rose in their products. Except for Bittersweet! We are offering a Bulgarian Rose Refresher! Every time I walk by the tester I spritz it all over my body. I love the scent! This summer line is being curated, and we have a lot to add to the limited edition, but it's on the way. It seemed like yesterday that every time I'd blend a bath salt and get it out on the counter someone would grab it. I'm also fond of Lavender and Pink Grapefruit. The two essential oils work magic when they're blended! I consider it a go-to scent for summer. It would be lovely in a dry oil. What's a dry oil? The most amazing moisturizer that has ever been created! Bittersweet offers a scent bar at our shop. The sky really is the limit on the fragrances that we offer. Summer is a wonderful time to build a custom scent!

A floppy cotton hat for morning market trips and summer beach jaunts. Who doesn't love a cool cotton hat?

We're going to have almost triple-digit temps next week! It's way too early for that! I'm going to be spritzing those refreshers!

Stay strong and keep the faith. 

Jill 

 

Season Everything With Love

The cherry blossoms are blooming! We are experiencing a late spring here in Missouri. Usually, by this time, everything is in full bloom, but I'm thinking it's going to hit all at once and then get hot. 

They say if you live in Missouri and don't like the weather simply wait until tomorrow. Having lived here most of my life with a brief interlude in California, I would attest to this to be the truth. 

Our summer soaps are beginning to line our curing shelves. Pineapple Mango will make its return in mid-May. 

Easter kind of came and went, but it was peaceful and quiet. I worked on both books and kind of lay low because it was cold and rainy which translates to a homebody. Not necessarily a bad thing. Days like that allow me some downtime. Not too much of that lately. Heck, not too much of that for the past twenty-five years since owning and managing Bittersweet. Again, not a bad thing. 

We just received a box filled with the softest organic t-shirts. I'm a t-shirt girl. They are my grab-and-go favorite once the weather warms. 

Let the circle be unbroken, by and by Lord by and by...

What is it about a corked bottle? I loved them then, and I love them now!

My fiddle leaf is flourishing. I get oodles of questions about these plants. I have a couple at the shop and a few at home. Each fiddle leaf takes indifferent sun. We have north, south, east, and west exposure in our home- and all four exposures seem to be exactly what the figs love. I give them a wee drink of water each week, and that's it. They require minimal maintenance.  I desperately need to dig them all up and transplant them, but I'm waiting for it to warm up.

The layout and title are finalized for the upcoming cookbook, and the second book is coming along nicely. Content is flowing and the cover has been designed and planned out. That feels good! 

Working and writing two books while manufacturing and managing an apothecary shop is not as busy as it might sound. 

My grandmother Lola against all odds opened her restaurant during the depression. She was a pioneer that possessed the ability to be strong and gentle at the same time. 

I spent an entire day pulling up Creeping Charlie last week. I had on leather gloves and wore holes in the tips if that tells you anything. As soon as the rain is out of the forecast, I'm going to kill the rest with a mixture of this. Much easier than pulling it all up. I'm always somewhat reluctant to get rid of something that has medicinal properties, but in this case, the intrusive weed is going to choke out all of my hostas and English ivy. Life of a gardener. It's a good life. 

Jill 

  

 

 

 

deadlines and birthdays

Well, well, I did something that was not forecasted, I set a deadline for the book that I'm writing. Then after considering the idea of writing a second book, a cookbook, I set deadline number two. So I have two books in the works! What I'm seeing is that it's a good thing to set a deadline when you're writing a book. Never say never! I'm happy to announce that both books are coming along nicely and if things continue to run smoothly, we'll have both books available in early twenty-three! Editing, covers, and photographer might detour that date, but we've got a green light for the content.  Yippee! I'm fortunate in having a shop so that I can offer the books in a retail setting. Once early Spring 23 arrives I can sell millions of copies! Probably not, but it's good to put those thoughts out there!

She is the love of my life! This little sweetie just had her summer haircut. Not only is she a faithful companion as most dogs are, but she's also tender-hearted and playful. Elle turns eleven in August. Just as your children grow ever so fast, so do dogs. Their presence in our lives is a blessing, but I don't need to tell you that because I know that you feel the same. 

A gentle smile and she's rocking that top and jeans! I'm always reluctant to ask customers if I can capture a picture after they try on clothing, but Elizabeth was happy to oblige. After we began chatting I discovered that she works at the same veterinary office that I take Elle to. Small world! 

Save the date! Where has the time gone? It's like a blur, but a colorful and vibrant one!

When I was searching for new items for the shop this t-shirt stood out! Be the Good See the Good. Powerful words in small print, and ones that we sometimes have difficulty with. After all, we're only human. By the way, I touch on this, no I dig into this method of living or lifestyle change in the book! Those are powerful words!

The flower shop delivered our fresh blooms. The flower of the week is Rice Flower.  Heather also delivered huge very tall bundles of cherry blossoms. We laughed when she sat them down, as I was astonished by their size!  They haven't popped open yet, but I would imagine by next week they'll be showcasing pink clusters of blooms. 

It's funny how when a loved one passes you still remember their birthday. No matter what's going on in your life or how busy you are you always recognize their special earthly day. I believe that's a good thing to remember, and it's an even greater thing to celebrate their time here on earth. My mom was smart, savvy, creative, and a great cook! She didn't always tell me what I wanted to hear, but she was always right in her evaluation of things. In fact, she was soft- spoken but quite opinionated, and since she was so intelligent you knew that her answers were bound with knowledge and empathy. Those are two qualities that could sing a lovely song!  There should be a song about that! Oh, I'm sure that there is! If you recall what song it is, let me know. 

I've always thought there was something intriguing about an extra-large chunk of soap!  Well of course I think that way, I'm a soap maker! Scratch that thought, because I believe that the mere image of a huge loaf of soap is a curiosity to anyone whether they be a soap maker or not. How do I get off on these subjects? 

This seemed like a slow week, but as I'm going through this week's pictures I realize just how busy it was. That could be a metaphor for life. How often have you felt stuck in a rut or felt things were moving slowly only to realize the opposite? I do it all of the time. In fact, probably every day.

I don't have to look far within my shop to churn up sweet memories. When re-opening my shop my dad and brother went with me to pick out a particular piece that was planted in my mind. We went to our local Habitat for Humanity. We no sooner walked in and I spotted this now white sidebar. I believe it was once a hotel table that the television was on. It had a dark wood finish and holes on the top where the television screwed in. By the way, I had no idea that they mounted the televisions in hotels. Who knew? The sidebar didn't have legs so my dad and brother found some legs piled up in a corner of the warehouse at Habitat. We took the piece home and they added the legs. I painted it white and added the pulls. The piece set me back twenty dollars! It's turned out to be an invaluable piece as it has deep sturdy drawers that are perfect for storing soap bars. Honestly, the memories are what's significant. I don't recall a time when my brother and dad were ever with me picking out furniture. Little things always turn into the big ones. 

Peace. 

Jill